Author: staff
Paris follows major European cities with introduction of car-free zones – and residents don’t notice
All motorists will now be banned from driving through the centre of Paris as the city launches a traffic-free zone. On an early November morning, Parisians woke up to potentially more traffic-free streets, as a new ban on motorists in the first four arrondissements of central Paris came into effect.Some forty signs had appeared overnight indicating the entrance to a new limited traffic zone, or ‘ZTL’, which was put in place by the city council. Only certain vehicles, such as emergency vehicles, buses, taxis, and people with reduced mobility and motorists residing or working in the area, will be allowed…
It is still unclear if there is political will to keep the EU-US Trade and Technology Council going in the wake of the US election. The European Commission will continue its standardisation work with the United States on a technical level, EU officials have told member states during a telecom council working group, according to minutes obtained by Euronews.The working group set up under the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) – a forum between the two regions to coordinate common efforts on trade and technology policy – will go on, but whether there is “political will” to continue the TTC…
More recently, in April this year, Russia’s education minister said only 130 North Korean students were studying in Russia. The recent number sets a historical record and appears to suggest a vast and sudden surge in academic interest in Russia — right after Moscow and Pyongyang signed a military treaty in June and shortly before reports emerged of North Korean troops being deployed to Russia for its war effort. Western officials estimate up to 10,000 North Korean troops could be joining Russia’s armed forces in an apparent plan to contain and push back a Ukrainian incursion into the border region…
The United Kingdom today reported an additional case of the new variant of mpox, an infectious viral disease that can cause high fever, a painful rash and death, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to four. The new infection was among the household contacts of the country’s first confirmed case detected in London on Oct. 30, a person who had recently traveled to affected countries in Africa, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Since then, there have been a total of three locally transmitted cases — including the most recent one reported today.
The former premiers are benefiting from a decree passed in 2019 by then-Prime Minister Édouard Philippe granting former prime ministers such fringe benefits for a period of 10 years after leaving the post. The benefits do not apply to former premiers if they hold other government office and do not extend beyond their 67th birthdays. The age limit does not apply to PMs who held office before 2019, when an earlier decree granted them the benefits for life. While Dalloz noted the expenses were not extravagant, she urged France’s former heads of government to be more spendthrift in the coming…
Social media posts about and online interest in the South Korean “4B” feminist trend are surging as American women join the call for men to be shunned. Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election has sparked interest among Americans in South Korea’s “4B” fringe feminist movement, which urges women not to date, marry, sleep with, or have children with men.Across Instagram, TikTok and X, American women have been sharing 4B’s tenets — “bihon” (no marriage with men), “biyeonae” (no dating), “bichulsan” (no giving birth) and “bisekseu” (no sex with men) — and calling for the movement to take off…
On the campaign trail, Trump threatened to slap a universal 10 percent tariff on imported goods. He also threatened to turn off Ukraine aid and to stop supporting NATO countries that do not invest 2 percent of their GDP on defense. EU leaders were gathering for an informal summit in Budapest for talks on Draghi’s report released in September, which recommends urgently filling an €800 billion-per-year investment gap. Reeling from the shock of Trump’s victory, Draghi’s recommendations may help to sharpen minds, even though two of the EU’s biggest economies, France and Germany, are embroiled in domestic woes at home.…
The sale marks the first time an artwork by a humanoid robot has ever been sold at auction and has been described as a “new frontier in the global art market.” An AI robot’s painting of Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science, has made history, selling for a staggering $1.3 million (€1.22 million) at auction. Sotheby’s reported that the digital artwork, titled A.I. God, received 27 bids and its sale well-exceeded expectations. Initially, it was expected to fetch between $120,000 (€113,000) and $180,000 (€169,000). The piece, created by Ai-Da – the world’s first lifelike humanoid robot artist -…
Kowtowing to the big man also means casually archiving your past comments. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy once called Trump a “woman-hating, neo Nazi-sympathizing sociopath” — but has gone rather quiet since entering government. Big-name ministers weren’t the only ones courting the powers that be in the European Parliament this week. Commissioner after commissioner lined up to tell MEPs how important they are to the European project, and how desperate they are to work closely with them — as they seek their approval. But the most sincere lips-on-ring action on display in Parliament this week came courtesy of far-right MEPs, some linked…
An old rumour has resurfaced alleging that a body double often steps in for the past and future first lady when out and about with her husband. Videos have gone viral on social media supposedly showing Melania Trump’s body double appearing alongside her husband, Donald, after they voted in the US presidential election.Rumours of a “fake Melania” are nothing new, but they resurfaced after Trumps cast their votes in Palm Beach in Florida on 5 November.Various posts on X claimed that the woman standing next to Trump was a body double, with many putting the video beside a photo of…